Much like my beloved mutual @greco-roman-jewess did with the JVP Haggadah, I am going to liveblog my reactions to Siddur Tatir Tzeruah, an "antizionist siddur" that I saw first posted by @thestudentempanada. But before we get into the siddur itself, they have an indiegogo page! Let's see what that can tell us about the siddur:

First off: "egalitarian full liturgy" is a very funny phrase when, as we're about to see, this is just a mincha/maariv siddur. Pretty hard to call it a full liturgy when you're missing a third of the siddur.

Second, to each bullet point:
- Yes. They have been before you shandes came around.
- Well, they can be, until they're discarded because they're no longer useful tokens. What happened to the Bund again?
- Jewish ritual definitionally cannot be used to bring down the State of Israel because it fundamentally yearns for a future where Eretz Yisrael exists. The many Chareidim in the State have issues with the secularization, yes, but to claim that they use Jewish ritual to bring down the State is... simply comical.

Third: the deliberate choice to leave the name of God out of the siddur is so funny to me. "Precaution against cops or Zionist aggressors" is literally the least serious sentence so far.

Fourth: not to be a gatekeeper, but I'd really like to know how many of the participants who want to "reconnect with Jewish prayer" are actually Jewish in the first place.

Again: "full liturgy" but no Shacharit. Interesting.

Also, you're... allowed to use the word Yisrael. You can't claim you're translating it correctly if you take the word Yisrael and translate it as something else. That's incredibly disingenuous.

Cantillation marks on the Romanized translation of the Shema is funny.

Ah.

So the gendering of God is... well, it's a touchy subject. I have friends who, when the time came to get bentchers for their wedding, strove to find ones that deliberately did not gender God. My personal opinion is that God is God, and God's gender - if God has one at all - is beyond us.

That being said, gendering Hashem as She is... well, it's A Choice. I would have thought that, like the Kohenet Institute, they would have gone with Shekhina if they wanted to use a feminine form of God's name, but... shrug.

"Theological bravery" is a phrase I've had to mull over for a hot minute, because it implies that printing this siddur is dangerous somehow. It's not. Danger is existing while Jewish at all these days. The most danger you're in by printing this siddur is side-eye from me and other jumblr users.

Also the comments about how Jews need this siddur when it's still... y'know... missing Shachris. How are religious Jews supposed to pray with a siddur that's only two-thirds done.

Off to a good start already. I thought y'all were translating Yisrael as something else?

Also, to compare yourself to Midrash is... well, it's certainly a choice you made. Hey, pop quiz: where did those Midrashic rabbis live?

Purchased? Like... legally? With legal tender? And the transfer of a deed from one owner to another? From the legal ruler of the area? Damn those Zionists, colonizing indigenous land by... buying it from the people living there.

Also, real excellent demonization of Moses Montefiore. "British imperialist and capitalist" he was a banker. "Stolen wealth and colonial political influence" just say he's a greedy subversive Jew and move on. He was a son-in-law of the Rothschild family - it's literally right there. It's so easy.

"the first apartheid settlement in the land of Palestine" ah yes, the historical definition of apartheid: getting a place to live for me and people like me in a land full of those who colonized it from my people, and then those people getting angry that we want to have our own neighborhood

First of all: this is Petach Tikvah erasure.

Second: we are, again, conveniently forgetting that the land for Rishon LeZion was PURCHASED. For MONEY. LEGALLY. Be so for serious rn

I guess at least they... acknowledge that October 7th happened? But they did have to throw in the little "oh the 71 non-Israelis killed in a mass terror attack were also persecuted by the Israelis for non-sequitur reasons"

"sacred mosque ON TOP OF THE TEMPLE MOUNT" do you hear yourself rn

"held at ransom as currency" said with absolutely negative self-awareness. Held at ransom by who. "official numbers" from who. "faster and more efficient murder than any other armed conflict in the twenty-first century" citation desperately needed

Skipping ahead a bit:

>Chareidi
>Artscroll

thinkingemoji.jpg

Also, I don't know what leftists ideals you expected from hardliner Litvak or Berdichever siddurim. That one's on you.

Your siddur is missing Shachris. I'd consider that a "numerous omission."

Ah, the fandomization of Jewish ritual strikes again. For the love of god, watch another musical. I beg you.

So... you agree? Jews are indigenous to the Levant? Jews have a right to take Israel back under our indigenous sovereignty?

Also, very noticeable omission from the list: Roman occupation. You know, the ones who called the land of Israel "Syria Palaestina" and gave way to the name Palestine. Really wouldn't fit the narrative if you had them in there, huh.

Shabbat is in an hour, and I'm only on page 27 out of... how many? [glances down]

Holy smokes.

To be continued, either tomorrow or Sunday.